Create Your Own Coaching Curriculum

Coaching is so much more than just coaching sessions; clients want products that will inform them and give them action steps to success. When you're not having a one-on-one or group coaching call, what are your clients reading? What are they working on?
I have found that my clients have reported much more success when implementing their own curriculum - programs and lesson plans. People have a hard time committing to coaching; I've seen it over and over with my clients who are coaches - it's one of their biggest complaints. It's usually this complaint that gets the ball rolling with the creation of new products and programs.
By providing a curriculum or program along with your coaching services, you are giving your clients a tangible (in most cases printable) item, something they can call their own and use between coaching sessions. There is only so much that can be discussed during each session; but imagine how much more you can get through to your client with your own curriculum! Your wisdom is now able to be held in the hands of your clients, causing them to spend time searching within themselves - becoming more committed to themselves and to your coaching.
For those of you with quiet clients, the ones who are resistant to speak about what's really going on, a workbook or journal will help them work through their issues as they feel comfortable doing. Then the exercises will give you both content to discuss - making the session more rewarding for both of you.
Your curriculum could consist of any number of things. If you have programs, you can adapt your curriculum to your programs in the form of workbooks, worksheets, journal prompts and exercises; or if you don't have specific coaching programs, you could create these items based on your coaching methodology. You could include CDs, MP3s, podcasts and so on. You could even create a fill-in PDF document (software for this is as inexpensive as $20 at pdfill.com) and when your client fills it in, they can email it to you for review.
It makes sense for coaches to have a supplemental curriculum for their clients. It provides a greater sense of commitment from your client and allows you to truly connect with one another. Many hands-on learners will also appreciate having something tangible to use during and in-between their coaching sessions. Your coaching wisdom will go so much further with your own curriculum!